


A Different Path

by FujurPreux



Category: Brave Police J-Decker
Genre: Gen, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-30
Updated: 2014-04-30
Packaged: 2018-01-21 16:44:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1557194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FujurPreux/pseuds/FujurPreux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Commissioner Saejima is forced to sell the Brave Police project to a private company before it is officially presented to the public. After weeks, Yuuta finds a way to sneak in to see Deckerd once more, but the new owners are less than understanding.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Cellphones didn't exist as we know them now when the original canon was created, so I went with that.

The former chief engineer of the Brave Police project was about to lock the door of the fanciest workshop he'd ever worked in. He had hated it and everything in it since before he got the key. No, that wasn't entirely true. There was one thing in the room he didn't hate at all.

Shunsuke Toudou looked up at his finest work, the BP-001, code name Deckerd. The robot with the most advanced artificial intelligence in the world. 

"Behave yourself," he said despite knowing Deckerd was deactivated. Not to mention that even if he wasn't, he wouldn't be able to understand something so sentimental. "Be good. Be everything Commissioner Saejima always wanted you to be."

After this, Toudou closed the door behind him, shaking his head. He was getting old.

Power Dynamic Enterprises hadn't got what they wanted, but they'd secured the second best. They'd spent years working to privatize the police. Under their own payroll, of course. They planted agents in key places to lobby hard. The government fought against them, but in the end it gave up and offered an 'agreement'. Said agreement consisted of selling the Brave Police project to the PDE. Or more like pressuring Commissioner Juzo Saejima, the original founder of the project and one of Toudou's oldest friends, to sell it. 

Toudou remembered how enthusiastic Saejima was when he approached him with the idea. A robot with an artificial intelligence so advanced it could understand complex verbal commands was a life-long dream for him. As a young man, Saejima belonged to the police division who dealt with criminals who used giant robots as a tool. The idea came from those experiences. And from too much manga and television. Saejima's division piloted armor of their own, but it wasn't enough anymore. The bad guys used bigger and bigger robots each time. Those crimes were too dangerous for human cops now. A robot capable of handling those tasks while taking orders from a distance was the next logical step from the authorities. And now it was in the hands of a group of buffoons Toudou didn't trust with a glass of water.

"As long as Deckerd helps others, the spirit of the Brave Police will carry on," Saejima had said, sad but refusing to give up hope, even after realizing he couldn't overturn the order over to hand the project. 

The PDE made a point of paying back in full everything Saejima had invested, unable to understand it wasn't about the money. Nobody bothered to explain it to them. Except Saejima. He tried, but he still got his check. Adding insult to injury, they retained the Commissioner as a consultant in-name-only. A handful of PDE executives had as their only job to pretend to listen to him only to dismiss everything he said.

They also allowed the head mechanic of the project to carry on with his work until he finished uploading Deckerd's specifications to the main database. Yet, as soon as he finished, he was 'let go'. Although his pride didn't allow him to leave the project in anything less than perfect conditions, Toudou didn't give them all the codes. They'd have to figure out how to track Deckerd's signal on their own, for example. However, since the robot would work just fine for the longest time, there was no reason they would need to shut Deckerd off from a distance. Therefore, Toudou left them that one. 

He put the key to the office and the identification card on the reception desk and waited until the security guard took them and wrote everything down on the log. Afterward, he resumed his exit. He hadn't been there long enough to bond with anyone, and he'd already said his goodbyes to the only one in that building he cared about.

The automatic door opened before Toudou reached it. One grave-looking middle-aged lady entered the PDE headquarters with a bunch of grade-schoolers behind her. These lucky kids who would see Deckerd in action for the first time in about one hour more. The PDE sent invitations to the elementary schools in the city asking them to send their finest and brightest students to watch Deckerd's first public appearance, with the company of a handful of politicians, and several reporters. Both to build good public relations and to convince them they wanted to work there when they grew up, no doubt. Therefore, all of these kids had been handpicked by the principals of their respective schools. True, chances were that some of them were not interested in robotics, but the opportunity to be among the first to see the giant policeman made of metal provided an excellent opportunity to brag. Children loved to brag, last Toudou knew.

One nervous 10-year-old stared at him. His already huge blue eyes widened when he was caught, and he hurried to look down at the floor. 

"I must look like I just swallowed a dozen lemons," Toudou mumbled. He took a deep breath and shook his head again. Terrorizing children, the only thing missing from his day.

Once the youngsters were inside, he, the old man, left the building. It felt like a metaphor. Hands inside the pockets of his jacket, he closed his eyes in a silent goodbye and the official closing of one of the best times of his life, even if by the end it'd taken a turn to the sour. Yet, before he could say the words mentally, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I was hoping to find you still here." It was Saejima. The PDE was decent enough to invite him to take part on today's exhibition.

Toudou turned around to greet his friend, a small smile upon his lips. Only the world on fire would make it hard to smile at Saejima. "I was just leaving." Toudou offered his hand to the other man for a handshake. "Good luck with the exhibition."

Saejima refused to take that hand. Instead, he raised both of his toward the sky and sighed dramatically. "I thought you'd stay with me so we can watch Deckerd's very first moment of triumph together!" He was pouting.

Toudou pressed the bridge of his nose. He'd lost count of how many times he'd asked himself why he couldn't simply say 'no' to this man. "I can't," he offered. "I already surrendered my ID. The security here is very picky, you know?" 

The current president and oldest son of the owner, Kazuo Kimura, was terrible about that. Paranoid even. He talked all the time about confidential agreements, industrial espionage, the people who would benefit from kidnapping him, to the point everybody knew he carried a small gun concealed in his sleeve, even if he tried to keep it a secret. Also the main reason he paid so well: to minimize the risk of being betrayed.

Saejima smiled and rubbed his hands at Toudou's answer. "That's the problem?" His next movement consisted of pressing a badge to Toudou's chest. "There! Now you can come with me!"

Toudou took the badge out of reflex and read it. "Assistant?"

Saejima nodded happily. "I called Mr. Kimura this morning and insisted in having two assistants. Your coffee's not that good, but that's what Hamasaki here is for." He gestured towards a young man standing behind him whom Toudou hadn't noticed before. 

Hamasaki bowed his head toward Toudou as a greeting. The poor kid looked resigned to his fate.

Toudou glared half-heartedly at his friend. He had defeated the old engineer again. Yet, as far a the Commissioner's schemes went, this was fairly innocuous. Fine. Toudou would play along. It would only take a couple of more hours and then he'd finally close that chapter of his life.

* * *

The exhibition began right on time and it was boring. Instead of darkening the room and having the master of ceremonies enter under a beam of stage lights, a group of people just walked to a table in the middle of the podium. Among them was the scary-looking man who stared at Yuuta near the door as he went inside the building. For a second, it was like he knew. But nothing happened. Now even he seemed more relaxed as he took his place on the table. It had been a coincidence. Just a coincidence.

Yuuta looked around as the names of the authorities were announced. They didn't interest him, and he could look for them in the brochure the lady at the door handed to him if the teacher asked, anyway. The seats in the auditorium were numbered, and they'd been previously assigned. As one of the youngest members of the audience, Yuuta's place was in the front row, between two other kids his age. Unlike him, they were paying attention. Yuuta frowned and tried to do the same. He couldn't. He got something about the PDE owner's wishes of making the world a better place took a big step forward that day. 

"Of course Deckerd will be the best detective ever," he mumbled, maybe too loudly. The boy next to him shushed him. Yuuta winced and bit his lip. Yet, it was true. He and Deckerd had talked in great detail about good and evil. Catching criminals was a priority for the robot.

The speech continued for longer than necessary. Every second, every single word uttered worsened the wait. "Why don't they let Deckerd out already?" he whispered. 

The boy shushed him again.

"Who's Deckerd?" the girl on the other side of him asked, but before Yuuta could say anything, the other boy began tapping the arm of his seat with his finger, glaring at them. The girl was amused and mouthed, "Tell me later," before turning her attention back to the speaker.

Yuuta looked forward as well, but the only thing he could think of was the day he found empty the place he'd considered his secret hideout for months. The nights he cried himself to sleep thinking his friend would forget about him. That Deckerd would get mad at him because of what he'd done to be there that day.

After the longest time, the president of the company, a tall man dressed all in dark gray whose name was Kazuo Kimura--the name was written all over the place, which made it hard to miss--, introduced Deckerd by name. Towering over 16 feet tall, built in red, white and blue, like if he was wearing a police uniform, the robot came out from behind a curtain at the back of the auditorium. People gasped and murmured as they looked at him. Deckerd really looked like a serious cop, but something wasn't right. The attention itself didn't bother him, but there was something off about him. He was too tense as he moved. Too stilted. Yuuta had helped him learn how to walk; he was familiar enough with him to tell. Deckerd stopped next to Mr. Kimura, remaining still except for his head, which moved around, scanning the public.

Then, he saw Yuuta. A smile appeared on his face. Not too big, but it was there. His shoulders relaxed, and he moved is right hand slightly, spreading his fingers as a greeting.

The kid smiled back, fighting the urge to cry in relief. 

His friend remembered. 

_Deckerd remembered him._

Yuuta wanted to run and hug Deckerd's leg, but this wasn't the right time or place. Perhaps he could find a way to talk to him later. The boy only nodded to let the robot know he noticed.

"Deckerd," said the president of the PDE, "introduce yourself."

Deckerd nodded and took an step backwards. One of his hands moved to get his gun while the other took out his badge from a compartment on his chest. The giant robot pointed at the audience with the first item while he showed the second, which flashed like a police siren. "Hold up! I'm Deckerd from the Brave Police!" he claimed with a strong, firm voice.

Every person in the room kept silence for a second until Yuuta stood up, clapping. "You go, Deckerd!" Then, applause erupted, specially from the children. They had no way of knowing, but Yuuta had taught Deckerd that trick. The boy was so proud of his friend for perfecting it, and grateful that he'd used it on his first public appearance. Deckerd's smile grew bigger and he looked down, obviously happy with himself, after putting the revolver back in the holster. Although not without spinning it in his hand first.

Now Yuuta needed to find a way to talk to Deckerd in private. He'd gotten so far, further than he'd hoped, that he couldn't stop now. Besides, it'd be worth it to take the risk. 

Mr. Kimura raised his hands to get the public's attention back to him. His smile was more plastic-like than before. "Ladies and gentlemen! Children! As you can see, Deckerd can be programmed with sequences that make him more dynamic and friendly without compromising its--his efficiency as an agent of justice! Now," he rubbed his hands together, "if you were so kind as to follow the lovely lady at the door on the left, she'll take you on a fascinating journey through the story of the family that made everything possible! Along with a tour around the headquarters of Power Dynamic Enterprises. I'll meet you outside for a final demonstration of Deckerd's driving skills."

This demonstration had been way too short that the disappointment was tangible. Still, the people got up from their seats and followed the lovely lady at the right door. It took nearly one second for said lady to transition from surprise to a wide smile before she would indeed lead the audience outside. 

Yuuta took advantage of the confusion by hiding under a small table near said door on the right. He'd wait there for an opportunity to talk with Deckerd.

Soon, Deckerd, Mr. Kimura, a shorter man dressed in lighter gray, and a technician were the only ones left in the auditorium. All the lights but the one directly above them were turned off. Enough for such a small group of people, even if it left the rest of the room in the shadow.

Yuuta took a peek from a corner of the tablecloth that provided cover for him. Mr. Kimura wasn't smiling anymore. Yet, the sour expression seemed more fitting for him.

"What a disaster!"

"You didn't have to stop everything," said the shorter man in lighter gray. He looked younger than Mr. Kimura, and his voice sounded soft even as he scolded the company president. "If you weren't allergic to improvisation, you could've carried on with it as part of the show."

That only infuriated Mr. Kimura even more. "It. Was. Not. A. Show! It was a demonstration of how capable we are to uphold the law of this country. That… whimsical trick threw everything out of balance. What if all its programming is wrong? It could be dangerous!" He turned his attention to the technician. "This didn't happen in the rehearsals! Who modified it? The old man?"

The technician shook his head until it became a blur. "N--no, sir. Mr. Toudou had no time to do anything like that. No one has modified any code since before the first rehearsal."

Mr. Kimura's frown grew deeper. He kept his arms firm against his sides, but he was breathing faster. And his face got a darker shade of red. "I want an explanation. And a solution before one hour. We'll carry the rest of the demonstration in the parking lot. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," said the technician, and then hurried through a door in the back, presumably to warn his team and begin working.

Yuuta looked up at Deckerd. No one was paying attention to him, but he looked upset. Knowing him, Yuuta could tell he felt guilty for getting these people into trouble. However, only Yuuta was to blame, since the original idea had been his. The boy considered getting out from under the table to take the responsibility when Mr. Kimura spoke again.

"Go tell them to start working on the visor as well," he said to the man in lighter gray as he looked up at Deckerd. "Its face is too expressive. It creeps me out."

"But that's good for public relations," the other one replied. "Not that it creeps you out. That it's so expressive. The kids love him the way he is, you saw them cheering him up."

"It. _It_ is a robot. A thing. Nothing will work if everyone starts getting so sentimental." He pouted. "We can say the visor is for protection if it makes you happy. Now go. I'll take it personally to the workshop once I'm done with a few things here."

The man in the lighter gray shrugged and spun around. "See you at the parking lot, bro." He smiled brightly at Mr. Kimura's wince. "Keep practicing that sense of fun! You'll get there one day," the younger man added before leaving after the technician. 

Once he was alone, Mr. Kimura began pacing. "This is ridiculous! So ridiculous!" He glanced at Deckerd. "You're ridiculous too. Stupid contract. More black and a more aerodynamic model is what works!"

"Stop!" Yuuta yelled. "Stop being so mean to Deckerd! You're hurting his feelings!" He jumped up to his feet, his hands making tight fists. However, while doing this, he pushed backwards the table under which he'd been hiding, throwing it to the side.

"Who's there?"

Startled, both Deckerd and Mr. Kimura turned to Yuuta, the later pointing his hand toward him. 

Yuuta saw Deckerd pushing the man with a quick movement right before the boy felt a sharp pain on his shoulder. An instant later, a metallic, huge and familiar hand lifted Yuuta. 

Deckerd started running to pick him up, and used the momentum to crash against the wall.

* * *

Toudou and Saejima had taken the tour before, so they skipped it this once and went to the parking lot. Young Hamasaki followed them at a respectful distance. It was a nice day to be outside, with only members of the PDE security team for company. The rest of the employees surely were trying to do some damage control after Kimura's tantrum. That man had to be the less flexible human being on the planet. It was a real pain to work under him. Toudou was grateful he wouldn't have to do it anymore after today.

"I didn't know you programmed Deckerd with a sequence like that!" Saejima said, passing his arm around Toudou's shoulders. Back at the exhibition, the Commissioner had clapped as enthusiastically as the children, which didn't came as a surprise at all, unlike the event itself.

"I didn't," the engineer replied. Toudou was as stunned as the rest of the directive board. No one could introduce a sequence that complex in the few minutes since he stopped supervising the project. The PDE security protocols were so strict no one would dare to enter without authorization to the workshop. Or to any room, for that matter. They had a tight security system, a closed circuit that recorded everything from every angle, a log of visitors, and a log where all the changes made were recorded on detail. No. There simply was no way.

"You mean he learned it by himself?" Saejima asked. He sounded like a proud father. "Artificial intelligence is supposed to learn things over time, isn't it?"

"Well, yes. But Deckerd's AI hasn't interacted with anyone yet. And the only one I know who could've taught him anything like that is you."

Saejima raised his hands defensively. "It wasn't me." He smiled, although he had enough decency in him to look awkward.

Toudou let out a sigh. This man was impossible. Besides, there were other things that required his attention. Like the fact that the PDE executives would blame him for this. Better to be ready to prove he wasn't. So much for getting out of this early. He'd be lucky if he got home in time for dinner.

A little girl in a school uniform approached them and tugged Saejima's jacket. "Excuse me, sir, I'm looking for a boy missing for our group--"

In that moment, Deckerd came out from the wall a few feet from where they were standing, interrupting her. Saejima turned around  to shield the girl from the debris while Toudou protected his own face with his arms. When the dust settled down, the engineer saw that Deckerd held a child on his hands.  

"There he is!" the little girl exclaimed, as she pointed with her finger at the boy carried by the robot.

Before anyone else could react, Deckerd jumped over the fence of the parking lot and went into the trees that surrounded the PDE headquarters. He was out of sight within seconds.

"You!" Kimura exclaimed. He'd come out from the hole as well, holding his right arm, which hanged limp, with his left hand. "Your robot broke my arm and kidnapped that boy!"

"What?" Toudou and Saejima exclaimed at the same time.

"Deckerd would never do anything like that! Specially not without an order!" Toudou yelled back. "Which _you_ would've had to give!"

Saejima put a hand on his arm. The message was clear: 'Let me handle this.' The old engineer backed off a couple of steps and looked aside for a moment. He saw then the medic of the company running to his boss with his first aid kit.

"After this, we'll destroy that defective unit and work with our own."

Saejima raised his hands preventing Toudou from answering. 

The engineer had heard rumors that Kimura had ordered his technicians to build other robots following the basic diagrams they bought from Saejima, but more of Kimura's liking. Legally, he was within his right, but Toudou had discarded that information. His pride made him think that in case that were true, he would be asked to step in since he was the chief engineer of the original project. It was too late to realize how wrong he'd been, and he couldn't help but feel it like a personal insult.

"Deckerd's core programming has always being that of an officer of the law," Saejima told Kimura.

"It's in his prime directives," Toudou intervened. "He wouldn't hurt anyone." 

Kimura pointed at his arm, which hung useless against his torso while the medic tried to get a hold of it to examine it. The man should be running high on adrenaline if he could make a scandal this big in that condition. "What about this, then?" His face had the deepest shade of red Toudou had ever seen on him. "If you refuse to see the evidence, that's your problem. I'll take care of this mess before any police unite arrives." He turned around. "But don't think I won't be having a nice, long talk with you, Mr. Toudou, when this is over," he added before striding back into the building, followed by a frantic medic.

Saejima frowned. He didn't appreciate being taunted. "Hamasaki, call headquarters. Tell them to assemble a team. We'll meet them there."

"Yes, sir." The young man bowed his head and hurried to follow his orders.

"We'll prove the worth of the police department and get back the child unharmed." Saejima began walking towards his car followed by Toudou. "I refuse to believe Deckerd would try to harm anyone. This has to be a misunderstanding."

"I thought they were friends," the girl said, walking right next to them. "Deckerd and Yuuta, I mean."

Toudou had forgotten she was there. Nevertheless, he felt embarrassed for having behaving like he did in front of a child. That was why he worked with machines. 

"Friends?" Saejima asked.

"Yuuta said Deckerd was the greatest detective ever before that man said his name, like if he knew him from before."

Saejima and Toudou exchanged looks. 

"Now more than ever we need to find them before Kimura does so we can set this straight," Saejima said. 

Toudou's mouth formed half a smirk. "I can track Deckerd." He pointed at the PDE building with the thumb. "They can't."

Saejima stared at him in disbelief for a second. But then grinned and gave the mechanic a thumbs up. "I knew I could count on you."

"I'll get to work."

"I'll go tell Ms. Tanaka I found Tomonaga," the girl said.

"I think it'll be better if I tell her," Saejima said. "You go ahead," he added in direction to Toudou before he followed the girl to meet her teacher. "It won't take long"

Toudou nodded and went back to his car to get his tools. He'd never being more glad of keeping his toolbox withing reach at all times.

* * *

It took a while before Deckerd stopped running. When he did, Yuuta took a deep breath. The blood that trickled down his arm was dry already, and the pain had been reduced to a numb throb. Yet, the boy felt dizzy. He had no idea how long it had been since Deckerd took him away from the auditorium. Everything after Mr. Kimura scolded his friend was a blur. It could've happened the year before or the-blink-of-an-eye ago just as easily. 

"Yuuta," Deckerd mumbled looking at the shoulder of the kid he held on his hands with a worried expression. "Are you…? I need to take you to a doctor."

"I'm-- Deckerd, what happened?"

Deckerd's face grew somber. "Kimura had a gun. He shot at you. I couldn't--" He turned his gaze aside. "I tried to stop him, but you still got hurt. I wasn't fast enough. I'm sorry." 

Yuuta wasn't sure how to react. It was different to feel the pain on his shoulder and to know it'd been caused by a bullet. A bullet from a gun aimed at him.

Deckerd put the kid back to the ground. "I'll take you to a safe place." 

Only until the moment the robot changed into a patrol car was that Yuuta realized they were at the border of a paved road. He figured it connected with the highway.

Yuuta nodded and climbed on Deckerd's cabin once he opened the door.

They reached the highway soon, just as Yuuta predicted it. The pair rode on in silence as Deckerd mixed with the rest of the traffic.

* * *

When Saejima came back to his car, Toudou was nearly done tinkering with his tracker. 

"How was it?" he asked without raising his eyes.

Saejima sighed as he put on the security belt before starting the car. "Better than expected. While I talked to the teacher, one of the reporters who were eavesdropping remembered Deckerd's specifications. Kimura will have to handle a media circus before he can convince anyone he was sabotaged. There are many ways he could've broken that arm."

"So we have a head start."

"Yes."

"Why didn't he release the security footage?" Toudou grumbled. "With how much he likes to point fingers, anyone would've expected him to start from there. He has security footage of everything, after all."

Saejima frowned. "He does, doesn't he."

Toudou looked up from the tracker. "What is it, chief?"

"I believe," Saejima began, eyes focused on the road, his voice deep. "I believe we should start considering the possibility that the boy did know Deckerd from before, like the girl said."

"Sorry to say, but that's impossible."

"Is it? Well, humor me. Follow this idea and tell me how it would've happened."

Toudou sighed and scratched his chin. "Well, the boy should've found his way into the warehouse to activate Deckerd, and then interact with his A.I. long enough for him to imprint as Deckerd's default partner." Toudou shook his head. "It's all speculation, of course. Not only there wasn't a way for such thing to happen. It would've shown up in our tests. Deckerd would've refused to obey anyone who's not his partner."

"Refuse," Saejima repeated. "As if he had a choice."

"That's not what I meant!"

"I think you did."

To those words followed a silence in which Toudou contemplated the weight of what the Commissioner said. "That's impossible," he muttered.

"You said that already."

"We still need to gather more data before jumping to any conclusions."

"And that, my old friend, is exactly what we'll do now!"

"You've read one too many manga, chief!" Toudou protested as he held onto his seat.

Saejima was speeding now. The car's siren howled in perfect unison with his hearty laugh as they both echoed through the highway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cellphones didn't exist as we know them now when the original canon was created, so I went with that.

Nevertheless, another media circus waited to rain on their parade at the police station. Azuma was, of course, furious. Judging by Saejima's face, the Commissioner would prefer to face an evil giant robot with his bare hands to face his second in command. However, he wasn't one to run away from his responsibilities.

"Do you know where they are now?" Saejima asked as he parked.

Toudou looked down at his tracker. The screen showed a bright green dot on the map. It was a zone familiar for all of them.

_Deckerd, really?_

"The warehouse."

Saejima raised his eyebrows. "He went back home, then?"

"It seems so."

The Commissioner tossed his car keys to Toudou. "Go ahead. Try to talk to them. I'll sort things out here and I'll meet you there."

Toudou grabbed them out of reflex. "Me?" he exclaimed. "It has to be you. If your theory is correct--" The old engineer stopped himself. If Saejima's theory was indeed right, he should be the one to talk to Deckerd, just as he always wanted to. However, if it wasn't--and that's where the probabilities leaned toward, this being the real world--, then… If Toudou could spare his friend from such a disappointment, so be it. "Fine. I'll go."

Saejima patted his back. "I knew I could count on you." One somewhat informal salute later, the Commissioner left the vehicle.

Toudou jumped over the driver's seat. "One day," he mumbled as he started the car again, "I'll be able to tell him no."

Now that he knew where his destination was, he wouldn't need the tracker, so he put it in the back seat.

As soon as Toudou got to the first red light, he remembered his own car was still at the PDE parking lot. He winced and cursed under his breath. "Something else I didn't need," he said. "Why can't this day be over already?"

* * *

Yuuta wasn't really that surprised when Deckerd stopped in front of the warehouse they'd first met. "Won't they come looking for us here first?" he asked.

"It's too obvious. That's why I chose it," Deckerd replied. 

Yuuta got off the car so Deckerd could change back into a robot. Once with hands again, Deckerd pushed open the doors to the warehouse, which he then closed behind them after they got inside. This was the first time the boy walked in through the front door. It was very different than doing it from the vent. The circumstances were also far from being as joyful as they used to be when Yuuta came to visit his friend, to teach him about the world.

The kid sat down on one of the few boxes left. Except for some desks and lockers, the place was empty. Yuuta had rarely been there when the technicians and mechanics were around and even then, always hiding, but right now the warehouse felt colder and lonelier than ever.

Deckerd knelt down next to Yuuta to take another good look at his shoulder. "The wound isn't bleeding anymore. But we still need to disinfect it," the robot said, his voice calm and professional, before he moved to open the drawers of the desks and the lockers. He came back holding a first aid kit coated with dust, which he placed next to the boy. "It's too small for me. Can you do it yourself? I can guide you through…"

Yuuta noticed Deckerd wasn't looking at him. As a matter of fact, Deckerd hadn't look at Yuuta's face at all since they escaped the PDE.

"Deckerd, are you all right?"

Deckerd grimaced. His hand reached out to the child, but stopped midway. "I'm sorry, Yuuta," he said, moving his head so his eyes were fixed on the ground. "This is all my fault. If I had been faster--"

"Deckerd, it wasn't your fault."

But Deckerd keep talking as if Yuuta hadn't said anything. "Everyone was leaving me behind." He stood up again and kept avoiding Yuuta's eyes as he tightened his fists. "The Commissioner, the head mechanic… I didn't know if you'd forget me after they took me away. I felt so lonely. I--That's why when I saw you, I was so happy." His words came out faster and faster. "I had to show you I practiced what you taught me before I left the warehouse."

Yuuta jumped up to his feet, so fast his shoulder began throbbing again, but he didn't care. "How could I forget you? You're my friend! I was so sad when I found the warehouse empty. Nothing here said where they took you, but I kept coming for a few days, until they talked about you in the news. They didn't say your name, but it was about you. About the Brave Police project." He sniffed. "That other places is far from my house, but I went a couple of times. I tried to sneak in, but there's so many people around all the time." 

Deckerd looked at the child, his head tilted and his mouth hanging a bit. "Yuuta," he whispered, but Yuuta hadn't finished.

It was the boy's turn to look aside. It was time to confess. "When they sent the invitations to the schools, I knew I wasn't even close to get one. My grades aren't good enough. So… so I took the one to our school from the principal's office and put my name on it. They'll be so angry when they find out, but I don't care. I had to see you again." Yuuta risked a glance at Deckerd. "Are you mad at me because I cheated and lied?"

"Yuuta. I don't--I'm happy I got to see you again." Deckerd knelt down once more, his hand reaching out to the boy again. But this time it went all the way through.

Yuuta rushed to cuddle against Deckerd's hand. "I missed you so much!" The child began to cry. He cried for every day he didn't see Deckerd. For every time he thought his friend would forget him. Because his friend was lonely and that was unfair. He cried because he was scared. Because he felt guilty. Because his shoulder hurt. Because he didn't know what to do next.

Deckerd put his other hand around him, surrounding Yuuta in the only kind of hug he could give him. That was all he could do, but for Yuuta it was enough.

* * *

"What would I've done at that age with a robot like Deckerd at my disposal?" Toudou mumbled as he parked a few streets way from the warehouse. He'd walk the rest of the way. Even the dullest tool in the box should know better than to startle the kid with control over the giant robot with a gun. 

In answer to his own question, he wasn't sure he was ready for the answer. He wanted to believe the best of himself, of course, but kids were kids. They should keep themselves busy with games and school, not taking this kind of responsibility. Depending on how bad the situation was, Deckerd might have to be rebooted. Toudou would prefer to do it himself. The robot was his own creation, after all. No matter who had bought him.

The engineer got to a side door hidden by a handful of discarded wood planks. He'd kept the keys, so he opened it carefully not to make any noise. After tiptoeing inside, he closed it behind him. Then, he remained still and in silence for a while. 

Nothing.

Good. He could move on.

Instead of taking the elevator to reach the basement, Toudou walked down the stairs all the way through. He'd pay dearly for this in the morning, if not sooner. One final door at the bottom and he'd be there. However, Toudou had to marvel at himself. He'd been so quiet he felt like he channeled a cat. 

It was hard not to get distracted as soon as he set foot in the room where the Brave Police project began to take a definite shape. The time spent planning and working here had been the best in Toudou's life. He doubted he would ever feel that again.

Toudou took a peek around the corner of a cardboard box, and he finally saw them.

Deckerd and the boy were sitting down next to each other, the latter with a clumsily-placed bandage around his shoulder, stained with blood. Even so, the picture was oddly endearing. Both the kid and the robot were hugging their legs, their eyes fixed on the ground.

"We can't stay here forever," the boy said, hugging his legs tighter. 

"I--I know," Deckerd replied. "But I want to stay with you," he added after a pause, in a softer tone of voice.

The boy stood up, stretching his arms toward the robot, wincing when the sudden movement made him remember his wound. Nevertheless, his spirit seemed higher now. "I know! We can find another warehouse to hide you in while we give you a paint job!"

"A paint job?" Deckerd repeated, scandalized.

Yuuta winked at him, pointing his index finger up. "Of course! That way, you'd be camouflaged and they won't be able to tell you apart from the rest of the cars of the city!"

Deckerd folded his arms and looked at the brim of his hat. "I'm not so sure about this…"

"Leave everything to me, Deckerd! I'll get you fuel too. It won't be a problem!"

"I'm afraid it's a matter a little more complicated than just getting him fuel," Toudou said, stepping out so they could see him. He held his hands up, at either side of his head. "He'll need maintenance once in a while. Specialized maintenance."

"Mr. Toudou…" Deckerd murmured as the kid spun around in one jump. 

The man had indeed startled them, but no guns showed up. However, it didn't escape Toudou's notice that Deckerd shifted his position to provide a better cover to the boy. To protect him.

"Do you know him?" the boy asked looking at Deckerd.

Deckerd nodded. "Yes. He's--was the head mechanic in the Brave Police project. He's the one who built me." Deckerd's eyes had been fixed on Toudou since he showed himself, but it was until now that he addressed him directly. "But I thought you didn't work for them anymore."

Toudou shook his head. "I don't. But when we saw you coming out of the wall, Commissioner Saejima and I, we knew we had to figure things out before they did."

"The others are coming too?" Deckerd asked.

"Maybe. The chief got caught up with some things, but it wouldn't surprise me if Kimura sent a battalion to look for you two." Toudou folded his arms and sighed. "I didn't leave him a way to track you that easily, but they'll figure it out eventually. Soon enough, you won't be able to hide."

Toudou never thought he would see a robot look so worried in real life. So worried and… well, sad.

"Yuuta, I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"Deckerd, it's not!" Yuuta's voice made clear they'd already gone through this. 

The robot turned to Toudou. "I'm sorry I couldn't be what you and Commissioner Saejima wanted me to be. I dishonored your last words."

All of this conversation sounded so surreal. Toudou loved his job, sure. He liked to work with machines. Normal people gave him weird looks when they happened to hear how he talked about his car collection--never mind _to_ his car collection. Working on Deckerd, from the design table to the last details of his programming, had been a wonderful experience. But Toudou had never dreamed he'd speak to the robot. Actual talk, not just a issue-command-get-scripted-answer routine. Instead, here he was, hearing how Deckerd felt.

The robot he'd built with his own hands had an emotional response about something he, Shunsuke Toudou, did. The engineer felt proud despite of himself. Yet, at the same time, he felt disturbed as he realized how well he understood Saejima now.

"Is Deckerd in trouble?" Yuuta asked. He'd jumped forward, and was now between Deckerd and Toudou. It was his turn to protect his friend. 

"He is," Toudou replied. "He destroyed part of the PDE building and he's accused of kidnapping you."

Both Yuuta and Deckerd looked appalled.

"What?" Yuuta asked. "Why? He didn't!"

"I know that now, but we need to go back and talk with the commissioner."

"I won't take Yuuta back to the PDE," Deckerd said, the most serious he'd been during the conversation.

"That man shot me!" Yuuta explained, covering the bandages on his shoulder with his hand. "That's why Deckerd brought me here!"

Now it was Toudou's turn to be startled. "What?" he asked, even if deep down he noticed how that reveal rounded everything.

However, a more through explanation would have to wait. The sound of choppers hovering above the warehouse filled the room. Before the trio could start looking for a place to hide, half a dozen security guards, sporting jackets with the letters PDE in bright yellow, fell from the roof. There was no place to run nor to hide now, specially with Deckerd's primary colors clashing against the gray of the walls around them.

Todou saw Deckerd reaching out for his gun. Yet, before the old man could finish thinking he had to get the kid out of there, the giant robot's eyes dulled down and he felt flat on the ground. No protest on his part. No more sound than the clash of his metal against the floor. Turning him off had been that easy. Toudou had never felt more disgusted with himself.

* * *

" _DECKERD!_ "

Yuuta rushed to his fallen friend. The kid held his head calling his name over and over again, but he didn't respond. 

Mr. Toudou put a hand on his shoulder. "They just turned him off," he said. "He'll be fine."

Yuuta turned his head to see the blurred figure of the man's face through his tears. "Just turned off?" he repeated. It wasn't right. Deckerd wasn't responding. He wasn't moving. To Yuuta, it felt like he lost his best friend for the second time in as many months, and all it took was one person pushing a button.

"We got them," one man said to his radio. 

Mr. Toudou straightened up and got closer to that man, his hands raised as a pacifying gesture. "Listen," a pause as he read the name tag. "Kobayashi, I think we can talk this over."

Yuuta stood up. "Deckerd didn't do anything wrong! Leave him alone!"

Every person with a gun turned to Kobayashi, whose face softened and scratched his temple. He looked less scary. "I'm sorry," he replied after  a sigh. "You'll have to talk about this with Mr. Kimura himself."

"Correct," Mr. Kimura said as she stepped out from the elevator, which Yuuta hadn't noticed coming down. The man's arm was in a sling. "You'll have to talk about this with me."

Yuuta was about to yell at Mr. Kimura, but Mr. Toudou prevented it by placing a hand on his good shoulder and speaking instead. "You shot this kid. We're not going anywhere if it's not with the police."

Mr. Kimura made a face. "Where did you get that from?" 

"I told him!" Yuuta replied.

"The adults are talking," Mr. Kimura said not even bothering to look at him before addressing Mr. Toudou again. "Did you witness such an event?"

"Isn't it obvious he's hurt?"

Mr. Kimura made another face. Sourer this time. "So, you believe this child's babbling but not me when I told you your robot broke my arm."

Yuuta couldn't take it anymore. He shook Mr. Toudou's hand off his shoulder and moved forward. "Deckerd wouldn't hurt anyone! He was trying to protect me from you!"

Mr. Kimura's eyebrow twitched as he glared at Yuuta. " _Silence!_ " he commanded raising his good hand. Then, he took a deep breath. "We'll all go back to a place where we can all have a nice conversation as the civilized human beings we are. And yes, my personal doctor will be at his disposal," he added as an afterthought. Mr. Kimura then turned to Kobayashi. "We've lost enough time already. It's time to go." He pointed vaguely to Mr. Toudou and Yuuta with his hand. "You two are coming with me."

Yuuta was all but growling. Mr. Toudou placed his hand on the boy's shoulder again. "We're surrounded," he murmured. "They're armed, too."

Yuuta looked up to the man. "But…"

Toudou shook his head. "All we can do right now is play along. But we'll figure something out on the way, you'll see. Commissioner Saejima knows I came here." 

The man tried for a reassuring smile, but he didn't hit the mark. Still, Yuuta nodded in response.

While they were talking, a group of security guards Deckerd had tied Deckerd with strong cables so they could pull him outside where a couple of choppers were waiting to lift him and take him away. It pained Yuuta to see how much his friend looked like a broken marionette, his arms, his legs, and his head dragging behind his torso, which was up in the air first.

"I don't want to leave Deckerd alone with them," Yuuta mumbled, fighting back his tears.

"I know," Toudou replied. "Believe me, I know." 

Kobayashi came back to them to guide them to the vehicle assigned to take them back to the PDE. Yuuta climbed on to it on his own accord, refusing every offering of help. He didn't want any of these people to touch him. Two PDE employees got inside after him before allowing Mr. Toudou to follow. Finally, Mr. Kimura entered to the cabin next to the driver and they started they way back to the PDE headquarters.

The committee in full turned around and went back to headquarters, with their prey caught. They felt proud of themselves, no doubt, Yuuta thought. He was angry. Scared too, of course, but mostly angry. 

Just as the villains from his mangas, Mr. Kimura had proved to be a coward. Since Deckerd wasn't willing to serve his purposes, the man would discard him like a useless tool. Yuuta couldn't let it happen. He had to protect Deckerd.

There had to be a way to turn Deckerd back on. The kid was certain that if Mr. Toudou had been able to, he would've done when Mr. Kimura and his minions showed up. While Yuuta didn't trust anyone from the PDE, Deckerd had addressed Mr. Toudou with deference. On top of that, not only the man had been fired from the PDE, which gave his credibility points a dramatic increase, but he was also an adult who understood what was going on and knew the police Commissioner. He was a valuable ally, and those were hard to find.

For example, since he set foot inside the truck, Yuuta felt the amused looks the security guards gave him. They thought he was some random child throwing a tantrum. Yet, the only one throwing one was their boss. Some people shouldn't be trusted with power. The boy knitted his eyebrows closer and held his folded arms tighter against his chest.

Five seconds later, he saw a candy bar in front of his face. 

"I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding," said the young man sitting next to him, the one holding the bar. He was also the one who called Mr. Kimura brother. "It'll be fine, you'll see."

Yuuta took the candy, mostly out of reflex, but being in the receiving end of such a warm smile. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"Masako, what are you even doing here?" Mr. Kimura growled from the front of the vehicle. He sighed loudly and his voice became more high-pitched. "And what did I tell you about eating in the company vehicles?" 

"Easy, there. It's for the kid, not for me." Although a mischievous smile and a wink dedicated to Yuuta said otherwise. 

The kid tilted his head. "Masako? Isn't that--"

Miss Masako laughed. "Yeah. It's a girl's name. I just like dressing like this. Now, eat your candy."

After looking at her for a moment, nodded and smiled back. He didn't unwrap the candy, but he didn't pocketed it either. He just held it on his hand, comforted by the gesture.

Miss Masako hadn't been there when Kimura ordered Deckerd to shoot at him. She left to talk with the technicians when he sent her to it, but she did make a point of saying how his brother took things out of proportion whenever they weren't going his way. Although getting to those extremes… would she believe it? If she did, then Yuuta should speak with her, tell her what had happened, in case she hadn't listened when Mr. Toudou brought up the subject. It was possible too that she'd just shrugged it off because Yuuta was a kid. Or that she knew about her brother's plan all along and was part of it. Yet, in either case, Yuuta concluded, the situation was so bad already he couldn't make it any worse.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cellphones didn't exist as we know them now when the original canon was created, so I went with that.

Toudou enjoyed the ride the best he could, which was not at all. This mess only worsened at every turn. He wasn't sure the PDE left enough traces for Saejima and his team to follow when they came to the warehouse. He hoped the Commissioner would put the pieces together as he usually did. 

He shouldn't have underestimated the technicians of the PDE. They cracked Deckerd's code faster than he'd expected, and they didn't let him sit next to Yuuta. They couldn't keep making plans. But at least ha hadn't left his sight.

Toudou glanced at the kid, who wore a defiant expression on his face as he ate the candy bar. Maybe he'd come up with a plan. Or more like he thought he'd come up with a plan. 

Yuuta's wound had to be the reason that Kimura didn't start by releasing the tapes of Deckerd's supposed attack. Both the boy and the robot said the truth. If he had to reconstruct the scene with what he knew, Toudou would say that Deckerd pushed Kimura away when he tried to shoot Yuuta, and that's how his arm broke. Therefore, in a way, Kimura was telling the truth as well. He shuddered.

The caravan got to the PDE building soon enough. The visitors parking lot was almost empty now, and Toudou saw his car exactly where he'd left it, untouched. Something less to worry about. On the other hand, the guards had doubled his numbers at least, as well. Some of them glared at the main gate, making sure the group of journalists who swarmed around the vehicles as soon as they saw them, remained on the other side. To be honest, Toudou had only see so much security during visits of foreign dignitaries.

True to his word, Kimura guided them to the infirmary and ordered one of the doctors and a nurse to tend Yuuta's wound. Under the pretense of concern, the man overlooked the procedure. No one told Toudou what to do, but he just knew the two armed goons at each side of the door wouldn't let him leave. With his options limited, but unable to sit down in one of the empty chairs and do nothing, he decided to address Kimura.

"I need to make a call."

"To the Commissioner?" Kimura asked. He sounded polite, but his mouth was twisted. "What for? Everything is been taking care of now."

Toudou took a deep breath and counted to ten. It wouldn't help his case to start yelling now. "To inform him. He was going to mobilize a team to find Deckerd."

Kimura smirked. "He shouldn't have bothered. As I said before, I took care of things before that outdated police department."

And he also said that they would destroy the 'defective unit', but Toudou didn't dare to say that out loud. Not with Yuuta withing hearing range. 

"I still need to speak to him."

Before Kimura could answer, his sister, who had been busy talking with Yuuta, put her hand on her brother's good arm. "I'll take care of this."

Kimura raised an eyebrow. He stared at his sister's face for a moment. She held his gaze for longer than anyone else Toudou had witnessed before, until he pouted and gave up, throwing his hand into the air. "Whatever."

She smiled and turned to Toudou. "Please, follow me."

Toudou looked at Yuuta one last time. The boy had been brave and didn't complain from the treatment further than an occasional wince. The kid looked back at the man and nodded. He understood that Toudou didn't want to leave him alone, but also that he needed to do it. Toudou nodded back, took a deep breath once more and followed Kimura's sister. He had never spoken to her, and therefore he didn't have any reason to trust her. But he was reasonably sure she wasn't going to cause any harm to him.

Reasonably. 

* * *

Yuuta felt himself go all red when the doctor, the nurse and miss Masako all told him how brave he'd been cleaning and bandaging his own wound. Even if they didn't seem interested in the part where Deckerd was the one to tell him how to do it. That lead the kid to the conclusion that all they want was to distract him from the pain of their own procedure. It did sting, but it wasn't that bad, specially after everything Yuuta had gone through.

"You're going to be fine," the doctor assured him, ruffling his hair.

"Thank you," Yuuta replied. He knew that already, at least as far as his wound was concerned. The bullet had only grazed him, and the damage wasn't beyond skin deep. Once the doctor finished bandaging him again, Yuuta felt better.

Then, his two allies left the room. Or, at least, his one ally--Mr. Toudou--and the one he was still on the fence about--miss Masako. However, it was important tht Mr. Toudou made that call. Not only they needed back up, but it would also cement miss Masako's status as being on their side. Yuuta hoped she was; the candy bar she gave him was delicious.

While he was thinking, Kimura asked the doctor and the nurse to give them some privacy. At the same time, what was left of Yuuta's optimism turned down a few notches. 

Kimura walked across the room to sit down in front of Yuuta on the doctor's chair. "So," he began as the boy glared at him. "I need to have a good talk with your parents. You'll receive a compensation for all your troubles. Double if you refrain from mentioning your 'memory lapse' again. Which was of course caused by the kidnapping you suffered in BP-001's hands."

"Deckerd didn't kidnap me! He was protecting me from you!"

Kimura pursed his lips and waved his hand at Yuuta the same way he'd done it at Mr. Toudou before. "Deckerd is a giant robot. I understand that, as a child, you'd think of it as cool. But it is a machine. Machines don't have feelings. They can't think on their own. And you haven't given me your parent's phone number."

"Deckerd has a heart!"

"I refuse to debate such nonsense. Your parents, boy. Quick. How do I reach them?"

"They're out of the country."

"Figures," Mr. Kimura mumbled. "Then your guardian's number. Or whoever is looking after you."

Yuuta looked aside and folded his arms, doing his best not to wince since he forgot about his wound for a second. "You have so many people working for you. Ask them to find out themselves."

Yuuta risked a glance through the corner of his eyes. Mr. Kimura was red and frowning and the fingers of his good hand opened and closed in quick succession.

"I have no time for games," he said. "Give me a number."

"I want to see Deckerd."

" _Boy--"_

"I want to see Deckerd."

"I'm telling you now--"

Yuuta stood up and tightened his fists. "I. Want. To. See. Deckerd."

For a moment, it seemed like Kimura was about to start yelling, but then he took a deep breath and smirked. He stood up. "You want to see Deckerd? Very well, then. Come with me." He walked out of the room without checking if Yuuta went behind him. "So Masako says I can't improvise? Let's prove her wrong."

The tone of Mr. Kimura's last words scared Yuuta. Part of him wanted to hide in a corner and cry, but he wouldn't. The rest of him knew he had to be strong for Deckerd.

The child stood up as well and followed the man.

* * *

Miss Kimura was far more agreeable than her brother. It was a shame she wasn't the one to inherit the company, Toudou thought. He hadn't interacted with her before. Not really. But she didn't seem the kind who would snap at every turn and do things like shoot at a young kid while standing next to a sixteen-feet tall police officer. 

As they were walking down the corridor toward her office--a nominal office, since she only nominally worked there--, Toudou scratched his head. He wouldn't lose anything with trying, even if he didn't have any real authority to do what he wanted.

"Before that call," he began halting in the middle of the hallway, "I'd like to see the security footage of the auditorium."

Masako turned around to face him, studying his face for a moment. "You don't believe my brother, Mr. Toudou?"

Toudou sighed. Having to admit this out loud hurt. "I do. But I also believe Yuuta and Deckerd."

She frowned for a long moment. 

_At least she's thinking about it._

"The robot gave you a report?" she asked.

Toudou nodded. "I guess we could call it that."

"What do you mean?"

"That kid, Yuuta, found the warehouse and activated Deckerd behind our backs while we were building him, and interacted with him enough to… well…" The engineer hesitated. Trying to talk about these things with someone he barely knew was harder than he thought. Not that he thought about it often, but in any case it was too late now. "To give him life. So to speak."

Masako's eyes widened. "What," she said. It wasn't even a question.

Toudou did not pout. If Saejima was here, he'd be able to convince her with the sheer power of his charisma. Heck, even Yuuta could do better and he was about ten. "I know how it sounds, but if we were to activate him again, you'll see it's true. He developed feelings, and doesn't need an order to act. That's why--" Here it came. There was only one way to deliver this. He took a deep breath before continuing. "That's why I believe Deckerd broke your brother's arm when he tried to stop him from shooting the boy."

"You make a bold accusation, Mr. Toudou. I'm aware my brother isn't exactly a pleasant person, but from there to shoot a child…"

"You saw his wound."

"I did. But I'm not an expert."

Toudou raised his arms. "And I'm not a detective, but that's the only scene I can put together from everyone's testimonies. The security footage is what could either prove me wrong or right, miss Kimura."

"Fine," she said, although it was obvious she wasn't happy about it. "I hope you're wrong." She backtrack a few steps and took a different turn in the next corner.

Toudou nodded and followed her again. He tried not to make evident that he wanted more than ever to be right.

* * *

Yuuta followed Mr. Kimura through a long corridor, then to a series of stairs that went downward, downward, downward, each step increasing the boy's fear. 

The man finally opened the last door. "In here," he said.

"What's in there?" Yuuta asked.

Mr. Kimura smiled. "Only one way to find out," he said as he crossed the threshold. 

Yuuta placed his good hand on his injured arm. He'd never felt so lonely before. A small voice in his head whispered to him just to give Mr. Kimura the information he wanted and go back to the world upstairs, to his sisters, and let Mr. Toudou and other adults handle this. But then, Deckerd's voice replaced it.

_"Everyone was leaving me behind. I felt so lonely."_

Yuuta frowned. He was not going to leave Deckerd behind, no matter what. Once they were reunited, neither of them would be lonely again. The kid straightened up and followed Mr. Kimura.

As they walked in, a series of lights turned on automatically, revealing a huge room, bigger even than the warehouse. At the other end, Yuuta could see Deckerd's body standing against the wall in a structure similar to the one he was kept on when Yuuta went to visit him.

"Deckerd!" Yuuta exclaimed.

"Wait," Mr. Kimura said, holding him by the shoulder.

Yuuta felt a pang on his shoulder, and he was sure Mr. Kimura grabbed him by the wounded one on purpose. The child looked up to glared at him for this and for stopping him.

Kimura didn't seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on Deckerd. "Your friend is deactivated, you know?"

"Well, then turn him on!"

"Why would I? That thing is a menace."

"Deckerd is not a thing!"

"Listen, boy. The BP-001 is a robot. With a very advanced artificial intelligence, yes, but it's still a robot. Robots don't have feelings."

"Deckerd does! He has a heart! The thing he did when he introduced himself--"

"Was a mistake," Mr. Kimura finished for him. "Someone was playing with its settings."

It wasn't often that Yuuta felt the need to kick someone's shin with this intensity.

"Just turn him on and you'll see--"

"See what? How my other arm is broken and you're kidnapped again? No, thank you. That robot is defective, and there's only one thing anyone can do with their defective property."

Yuuta's eyes widened. "What--what do you plan to do?"

Mr. Kimura took a hand-sized communicator from a nearby table. "Since I'm smart, I'll maximize the profit as much as I can." He spoke to the communicator. "Come forth."

Yuuta could hear then the clank of metal against the floor. Like when Deckerd moved, but the rhythm was entirely different. Soon enough, a robot as big as Deckerd came out from a corner. But that was where the similarities ended. He was bulkier and all black, and he didn't have any head. Instead, the line between shoulder and shoulder was flat. A lens in the middle of the chest had to be his eye. 

"That's more like it," Mr. Kimura said. "This is the new model, KI-200. We created it from scratch. We did follow the original schematics, since we'd already bought them, but we made many modifications of our own."

"I don't understand."

"I'm about to do you a favor and demonstrate that robots are nothing but a collection of metal and cables, unable to feel nor to think on their own while I do some testing. Maximize the profit I tell you." Mr. Kimura spoke again to the communicator. "Destroy the BP-001 and don't stop until it's done."

"What?" Yuuta yelled. "You can't--"

"I can. I own it." At the same time, the KI-200 began moving toward his objective. "Isn't it great? The KI-200 is capable of speech, but it won't answer unless you ask directly--"

"Stop him!" Yuuta cried. "You have no right!"

"You are the one who has not right telling _me_ what to do, boy! I am doing you a favor. You have to grow up!"

Yuuta kicked Mr. Kimura in the shin before dashing toward his friend. "Deckerd! You have to get out of there, Deckerd!"

"Stop right there, boy!" Mr. Kimura yelled. After the kick and with only one of his hands in good conditions, he had trouble keeping his balance. 

Yuuta ignored him and kept running until he was between Deckerd and the other robot. He turned to face the KI-200, his arms spread wide open. "You have no right either! Nobody is going to destroy Deckerd!"

But the KI-200 just kept moving forward, one step at the time. 

"It will only accept orders if they're given through the communicator!" Mr. Kimura growled. " _Move aside!_ " 

Yuuta ignored him again. The KI-200 kept getting closer and closer, but the kid didn't move. He wouldn't move. He only cared about Deckerd and never leaving him alone again. "Deckerd, you have to wake up!"

Mr. Kimura cursed under his breath. "Get the boy first," Mr. Kimura said to the communicator. Then, he addressed Yuuta. "Give up, boy. I'm the legitimate owner. I can do whatever I want with my robots."

Yuuta scowled as an answer.

The KI-200 didn't acknowledge having received the order, but given Mr. Kimura's face of satisfaction, he must've got them.

The KI-200 loomed over Yuuta and reached down to grab him. It was only then that Yuuta jump to get out of his way. However, instead of lifting it up again when he failed to catch him, the KI-200's hand hit the ground as if his intention was to squash the kid instead.

"What?" Mr. Kimura exclaimed. "I didn't mean to get him like that, you stupid machine!" He yelled directly at the robot, but the KI-200 only raised his hand to make another attempt at hitting Yuuta. He talked to the communicator again. "Stop."

The KI-200 didn't stop. 

"Stop. KI-200, stop. _Now._ " 

The robot kept moving.

Mr. Kimura let out a loud growl. "It must have reached the limit of queued orders again! I told them to fix that bug last week! Kid, you better run."

Yuuta scream out of fear as he rolled away from the KI-200 for the second time. "Make it stop! Deckerd! Help!"

"The KI-200 won't stop until it fulfills its orders!" 

Even as frightened as he was, Yuuta noticed Mr. Kimura grew desperate. Knowing him, he was scared of what would happen if someone found out about this. 

"The BP-001 won't activate with your screams!" the man continued. "I'll call the technicians. You focus on running!" 

Part of Yuuta wanted to go back and kick the man again. The other part noticed how tired he was already. On the other hand, the robot was tireless, and had given up trying to squash him with his hand. He tried to step on him with his big, metallic foot. The boy resorted to zigzag. He'd spend more energy, but it disoriented the robot for a moment.

However, while Mr. Kimura punched the buttons in a phone embedded in a wall, Yuuta tripped and fell down on the floor. The KI-200 was over him in less than a second. The giant foot raised to crush Yuuta.

The kid covered his head with his arms. " _DECKERD!_ " he yelled with all he had.

The foot came down hard, but it didn't touch the boy. Instead, another metallic body crashed against the KI-200 and pushed him away, making him fly to the other side of the room.

* * *

Toudou and miss Masako stormed into the workshop right on time to see Deckerd tackling the other robot. They saw the scene from the security monitors, from where it seemed obvious that Kimura sent the black robot on purpose to murder the boy.

"Stay away from Yuuta!" Deckerd yelled while punching him to the other side of the room

It would be unfair to call that a fight, mainly because the KI-200 did not hit Deckerd back, busy as it was trying to follow his orders to get Yuuta first, reaching out to grab him, but Deckerd didn't stop hitting it, pushing the black robot further and further away from the boy until his fist broke the lens on the KI-200's chest. After pushing further, he ripped out a handful of cables. The KI-200 fell down on the ground, useless. It had become nothing but a pile of dented, smoking metal. 

Toudou had never felt prouder in his entire life.

Deckerd went back to his little friend. He looked worried, even if Yuuta was standing up on his own now. 

Toudou was about to join them when a movement caught from the corner of his eye distracted him.

As soon as it was obvious the boy was safe, miss Masako turned around and with one fluid movement, hit her brother in the gut with her fist. That immediately ranked as Toudou's second proudest moment of the day.

"What were you thinking?" she said.

"It--it went out of control!" he mumbled from the ground. He lay on his side and held his stomach with his good hand. "I didn't mean--"

"You didn't mean what? To nearly kill Yuuta for the second time today?"

Kimura raised his head. "What?" 

Miss Masako grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him toward her. "We saw the tapes. You did shoot at him."

"I did not…" Kimura covered his mouth with his hand. "I thought he was someone else! A-a spy… a kidnapper… a suicide bomber, maybe… but I never…" He looked up at his sister. "You believe me, right?"

She let go of him and folded her arms. "Whether I believe or not, doesn't matter. You'd have to convince the police. And mom." Her frown grew at the same time as Kimura's terrified expression did. "I will call her and tell her everything."

Kimura immediately got up to his knees. "No! You can't! It will ruin everything! I was supposed to take company to new highs before bothering her again!"

"The murder of a child isn't a high anyone should aspire to," Toudou added.

Deckerd's firm strides echoed in the workshop as he got closer with Yuuta perched on his shoulder. Neither of them look happy, but it was easy to tell with whom they were angry.

"Mr. Kazuo Kimura," Deckerd said, "You're under arrest for endangering a minor." 

Toudou was impressed at how professional Deckerd sounded. He knew how personal it was for him.

Kimura scrambled up to his feet. "Now, _you_ can't do that!" he exclaimed, pointed at Deckerd with a finger. "I own you!"

"You don't own him!" Yuuta said. "Deckerd is his own person!"

"It's a robot!"

Deckerd straightened up. "I am model BP-001, codename Deckerd." 

"You're doing that routine _now_?" Mr. Kimura grumbled as he rubbed his face with his hand.

"But I do have a heart. Yuuta gave it to me," Deckerd finished. "I refuse to follow your instructions." 

Kimura folded his arms. "Like that matters. You haven't even been officially introduced to the police system! You lack the authority."

"He might not have been in the force yet. But I definitely do have the authority," Saejima said from the door. He held in his hands the tracker Toudou left in the car. 

To be honest, Toudou was more impressed to see the Commissioner managed to get the device working than about the dramatic entrance. Then again, knowing him, he had been there for a while, waiting for the best moment to announce he was there. 

"You took your time, chief," Toudou said.

Saejima smiled and scratched his head as he walked right in. "It wasn't easy to let the security guards to let me get all the way down here."

"Those ungrateful idiots," Kimura said.

"I'll take the full responsibility," Kobayashi said from behind Saejima. 

"He was with us when we watched the security footage," Masako said.

Kimura rubbed his face, but didn't say anything else as Commissioner Saejima proceeded with the arrest.

Finally, it seemed like the day was about to be over.

*

During the next days, most people in the city watched the leaked security footage over and over, until no one could deny that Deckerd activated himself to respond to Yuuta's cries of help. All of that while Kimura stared at everything from a safe spot against a wall. No one knew who leaked it, but everyone agreed it had been a good idea. Toudou the first of them.

The old engineer turned off the radio of his car with a sense of satisfaction after hearing the report for the fourth time. He knew, from a trustworthy source, that Kimura not only faced a trial. He had also faced the wrath of his mother, the owner of the PDE. Toudou would've loved to have been a fly on the wall of that meeting. She disowned him and made miss Masako the new heir of the company. 

However, to think about miss Masako was the most upsetting thing about this ordeal. Kimura was still her brother. To see the range of his carelessness and sense of entitlement must have been rough for her. But she wasn't alone. At least, Toudou promised himself he would check on her from time to time. He felt he owed her, and not only because miss Masako returned the Brave Police project to Commissioner Saejima.

At that moment, Saejima knocked on the car's window before getting inside. "The meeting was a success!" he announced. "Yuuta's sisters agreed to let him be a police officer."

Toudou sighed. The Commissioner's charisma had stricken again. "I imagine both Yuuta and Deckerd were happy about it."

"Of course!" Saejima gave a thumbs up. "The Brave Police will start working officially next Monday!"

"I guess we could do worse," Toudou said in a low voice as he shook his head. 

On the one hand, Deckerd's willingness to follow the boy was worrying. But on the other, while Toudou hadn't yet figured out what he would've done if he'd had a giant robot at his disposal at Yuuta's age, he was aware he wouldn't have done half as much good as that kid. He could appreciate how lucky they were. 

Saejima pat Toudou's shoulder. "Let's go have some drinks to celebrate."

Toudou smiled and started the car. "You're buying, chief."

Saejima grinned in response and then turned to see the landscape around them.

The engineer was more hopeful about the future than he'd been in months.  It was nice to see how everything fell in place in due time.

"Say," Saejima began, "how about we increase the number of members in the Brave Police Division?"

Toudou took a deep breath. "We can try."

"I've been working on the designs."

"I don't doubt that."

"We can discuss it over the drinks."

"Sure, why not?"

Saejima patted Toudou's arm again, looking happier than before.

Toudou tried to prepare himself mentally for what was about to come. He realized still couldn't say no to the Commissioner, but now, even if he complained, had grown to stop minding it.


End file.
